‘A Total Change in Mindset Is Necessary’

Activists protested against the gang rape of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi, Dec. 18.

The case of a young woman in Delhi who was allegedly raped on a moving bus sparked outrage from Indian politicians, who called for strong action to prevent such incidents from happening again.

The girl was allegedly beaten and raped by as many as five men on Sunday night, according to police. She is now in Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital, where staff say her condition remains critical.

So far, the debate has focused overwhelmingly on law enforcement. Some, like Sushma Swaraj of the Bharatiya Janata Party, called for the accused to be punished with death. “The rapists should be hanged. We need tougher laws to stop rapes,” she told lawmakers on Tuesday. Capital punishment is allowed in India but not for crimes like rape.

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Sonia Gandhi, president of the ruling Congress party, also intervened. On Tuesday, she paid a late night visit to the victim in the hospital and issued two, strongly worded letters.

“It is a matter of shame that these incidents recur with painful regularity and that our daughters, sisters and mothers are unsafe in our capital city,” she wrote in a letter dated Dec. 18 and addressed to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, a copy of which was posted here. “I would urge you to take whatever steps are necessary to undertake community action, to strengthen law and order, and to step up vigilance to protect women,” Mrs. Gandhi added. A Delhi government official declined to comment.

In another letter, addressed to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, she wrote: “It is a shame for all of us who are responsible for the security of our cities that a young woman can be raped in a moving bus in the capital of the country and flung on to the street.”

In Parliament Tuesday, Mr. Shinde said he recommended the case be fast-tracked in court. He said he would take up the matter with Delhi police to “ensure that all the necessary steps to make Delhi safer for women are taken.” On Wednesday, he announced a ban on buses and commercial vehicles with tinted glasses and curtains, among other measures aimed at making public transportation more safe. He also said the number of police cars patrolling the streets of Delhi will be increased.

Four suspects have been charged with rape and attempted murder, while one has fled. None of them could be reached for comment.

While better law enforcement is part of the solution, women’s rights advocates say that alone is not enough. “We can’t only have action, we need to address the root cause of this problem,” says Anne F. Stenhammer, who heads the South Asian chapter of the United Nations women’s agency, UN Women. “I think a total change in mindset is necessary.”

A patriarchal system where women have restricted liberties, and are discouraged to speak out in their own defense is the main reason why so many cases of rape happen and go unreported, says Ms. Stenhammer.

“In some environments, it is not seen as a good thing for women to speak up and when they do, we have evidence that they are often subject to violence,” she says.

To prevent cases of abuse, too often the onus is on women, with people ranging from family members to politicians giving tips to women on what to wear and how to behave. This is a dangerous logic as it implies that women share the blame for abuses of which they are victims.

In debates over the past few days, too little attention has been given to how this mentality should be challenged. For these attitudes to change, Ms. Stenhammer says women’s rights should be taught starting from primary school. She also recommends training police, court staff and civil servants on these issues.

An investigation published by Tehelka magazine earlier this year revealed that prejudice against victims of rape among policemen in the Delhi area is common. They linked this to the low rate of conviction in rape cases in Delhi (34.6%.) A spokesman for Delhi police did not reply to requests for comment.

The number of rape cases that were registered in India in 2011 went up about 9.2% from the previous year, according to data from the National Crime Records Bureau, a government agency. With 572 cases, Delhi was the city with the highest number of reported rape cases. In Mumbai, 221 cases were registered.

This actual number of rapes is likely to be a lot higher, as there is still a social stigma attached to rape, preventing many women in conservative environments from turning to law enforcement authorities.

Readers: What do you think is the most effective way to stem the incidence of violent crime against women? Let us know in the Comments.

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